Recreate Taste Memory

Studies often site olfactory memory as one of the strongest of our senses. My sense of smell is not terribly keen but taste certainly is. Taste often easily transports me back to vivid memories of time and place and people from long ago. I can roughly categorize things that I cook under a few big headings. There are new dishes that challenge me and broaden my horizon. There are utilitarian dishes that I make for everyday nourishment. And then there are food that evoke taste memories I try to recreate.

“This reminds me of what my mom used to make…” can mean different things to different people but it always guarantee a jog down memory lane. My Mom did not make very fancy or complicated dishes. Now that I think about it, many of the food I remember are of the kid-friendly variety (for obvious reason, my brother and I were kids after all). Sweet and tangy made regular appearances. Horror of horrors to my grown up palate, ketchup was a pantry staple to create that flavour.

Do you even remember the time when ketchup came out of a glass bottle with narrow neck? It was a chore to get any decent amount to plop out of the bottle but that was probably a good thing because only a small dollop was needed to flavour a dish. Onion Braised Pork Chop 茄汁洋蔥豬排 was a family favourite and a classic example using this ketchup-based sauce. Thick tender cuts of seared pork chops are braised with plenty of soft onion ribbons and lots of sweet and sour sauce, the perfect companion for bowls of steamed rice.

When I cooked the dish, I tried hard to recreate the taste I remember from childhood. I wish I remember how my Mom used to season it. I was adding this and that from the pantry with so many tasting along the way to achieve a fragment from memory. There were also many additions based on my own cooking sensibility because I now have instincts that I cannot ignore. In the end, I had a dish worthy of second helping of steamed rice but definitely not something I experienced as a kid.

Perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. After all, my taste has evolved much since I was 3 feet tall. What I enjoyed most from this exercise in recreating a taste memory is the journey itself. As I searched my brain for clues related to onion braised pork chop, images of my old home in Hong Kong came flooding back. Along with those, there were also vignettes of family dinner, embarrassing childhood moments, and totally freaked out by stray cattle at our one and only camping trip. I like the idea of evolution of taste which I take inspiration from food I enjoyed much and see it in new light by applying a matured perspective. Who would have thought a simple dish of pork chop can relate past and present in such a tangible way?

Onion Braised Pork Chop in Tomato Sauce 茄汁洋蔥豬排

serves 2 generously or 4 as part of a meal

Ingredients

450g boneless sirloin cut pork chop

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1 tsp + 2 tsp cornstarch for marinating and thickening respectively

1 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp + 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 onion, halved and sliced across the grain to half moons

1/4 cup diced pancetta

1/4 cup dry white wine

4 tbsp ketchup

2 tsp tomato paste

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp sugar

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Cut the pork chop into four pieces and pound them rigorously with a meat mallet to tenderize and flatten. Great time to work out a bit of frustration.

In a medium bowl, massage the pork chop with Chinese cooking wine, 1 tsp of cornstarch, soy sauce, and 1/4 tsp salt. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.

When you’re ready to cook, heat grapeseed oil (or other flavourless oil) in frying pan over medium high heat. Put flour in a shallow dish and coat the pork chops with flour. Shake out excess. Quickly sear them until both sides are golden. Set aside.

Using the same frying pan over medium high heat, sauté onion and pancetta until the vegetable softens and takes on a bit of colour. Pour white wine into the pan and cook until the liquid evaporates.

Mix 1 1/2 cups of water with ketchup, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, sugar, and remaining 1/2 tsp of salt. Pour into pan and bring to boil. Add pork chop in a single layer. Cover with lid and turn the heat down to low. Cook 4-5 minutes until pork is cooked. Remove pork chops to serving plate.

Turn the heat to high and reduce the sauce to 1/2 cup. If you want a sauce with more body, you can stir in a cornstarch slurry with the remaining 2 tsp of cornstarch. Season with salt and pepper. Pour onion and sauce over pork chops. Serve immediately.

Comments

Recreate Taste Memory

Studies often site olfactory memory as one of the strongest of our senses. My sense of smell is not terribly keen but taste certainly is. Taste often easily transports me back to vivid memories of time and place and people from long ago. I can roughly categorize things that I cook under a few big headings. There are new dishes that challenge me and broaden my horizon. There are utilitarian dishes that I make for everyday nourishment. And then there are food that evoke taste memories I try to recreate.

“This reminds me of what my mom used to make…” can mean different things to different people but it always guarantee a jog down memory lane. My Mom did not make very fancy or complicated dishes. Now that I think about it, many of the food I remember are of the kid-friendly variety (for obvious reason, my brother and I were kids after all). Sweet and tangy made regular appearances. Horror of horrors to my grown up palate, ketchup was a pantry staple to create that flavour.

Do you even remember the time when ketchup came out of a glass bottle with narrow neck? It was a chore to get any decent amount to plop out of the bottle but that was probably a good thing because only a small dollop was needed to flavour a dish. Onion Braised Pork Chop 茄汁洋蔥豬排 was a family favourite and a classic example using this ketchup-based sauce. Thick tender cuts of seared pork chops are braised with plenty of soft onion ribbons and lots of sweet and sour sauce, the perfect companion for bowls of steamed rice.